Safe spaces will guarantee self-actualization of youth

A section of youth from the Adaklu District in the Volta Region has presented a communique to the Chief Executive, asking the Assembly to make freedom and security a reality, for young people who needed it to develop.

The Communique said safe spaces were key to ensuring that diverse groups of young people in common settings coexisted peacefully and contributed freely towards the development of their communities, whiles earning them respect and self-actualization.

The petition was part of the activities of Action Aid Ghana, a civil society organisation, to mark the International Youth Day which was on the theme “Safe spaces for Youth”.

The delegation endured a mile long march through the District capital of Waya to the Assembly Office, bearing placards to help increase awareness on the plight of the youth.

The Communique called for civic spaces that would give them voice in governance, public spaces for youthful exploration and leisure, as well as access to the new reality of digital space.

It also said a “well planned” public space must be developed to provide the needs of a complex mix of youth orientations, particularly those vulnerable to abuse.

It said Goal eleven of the Sustainable Development Goals, and also the New Urban Agenda, all centred on granting more breathers to the youth, with the latter looking more at bridging the intergenerational gap through dialogue.

Mr Foster Adase Adjei, Regional Programmes Officer of Action Aid, said youths in the District required leadership, and underscored the need for mentoring outlets for them.

He said the Organisation’s activities in the District had led to a significant decrease in teenage pregnancies, and added that with sustained sensitization the trend would be reversed.

Mr Adjei said Action Aid had 13 girls clubs in basic schools in the District  providing professional mentorship for young women and a child sponsorship programme for nursing mothers and children under one year old.

Source: GNA